Reply #15: I would offer that amnesty might be a good course of action

[Vinnie From Indy]

I would also offer that if some of these same people that were previously banned continue to act in ways that are obviously counter to civil discussion and debate they get tombstoned AGAIN.

Also, it seems that some confuse legitimate disagreement, debate and critique with "denigrating comments" or "nasty, subtle little comments".

I take great exception to your phrase "If you mean what you say" in regard to Skinner. I find it mildly amusing that you write such a long post about snide, nasty little comments and the toll it takes on some posters and then toss a few in there yourself. What about Skinner? What about the effect of those types of comments on his psyche? You follow that up with "Skinner, you've offered words before" as if Skinner can wave a magic wand and solve all that vexes him and the DU community. That fact is that Skinner and DU are pioneers in the world of online political communities and the book is still being written. I think a bit of thanks to Skinner for this post and for even having this place is in order for all that care about it.

Lastly, it is always good for all of us to remember that simply because we join in discussion here that we are not the spokesperson for any group or community (unless we have that position with a reputable org. Our opinions are ours alone and these opinions are not the definitive statement for whole groups of people.

Cheers!